Asparagus is in season and I like to hunt for wild asparagus in the woods. Yesterday, I picked a lot of wild asparagus, so I decided to make a delicious risotto with a delicate flavour: risotto with prawns and wild asparagus. When I cook with fish, I don’t like to use much spice as I don’t want to mask the flavour of the fish (or the asparagus in this case), so I use only the freshest ingredients. Wild asparagus are slightly bitter so they work well with the flavour of prawns.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

350 g of rice

200 g of prawn tails

90 g of wild asparagus (washed and chopped)

25 g of olive oil with a delicate flavor

A sprig of parsley

A clove of garlic

PREPARATION
Place the parsley and a little olive oil in a pan, along with a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt, and cover with water (2.5-3 litres). Bring the water to the boil and add the prawn tails, and let them cook for ten minutes. Remove the prawn tails with a slotted spoon, and leave aside the fish stock to cook the rice.

Once they have cooled, take the prawns and extract the pulp in small pieces. (We recommend using a pair of scissors). Leave about 8 whole prawns to garnish.

Put the olive oil, chopped asparagus and a cup of water in a large pot over a medium heat. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes. When the asparagus is soft and the water has evaporated, put aside some asparagus tips to garnish, and add the rice. Stir for about one minute (if you like, you can add a touch of dry white wine and stir until it has evaporated). Add the pulp of prawns and stir. Gradually add the fish stock, stirring constantly until it is absorbed. Add the fish stock 1 cup at a time, allowing the liquid to absorb before adding another cup. It should take about 20 minutes for the rice to become al dente.

Put the rice on the plates and garnish with whole prawns and asparagus tips, and finally drizzle with olive oil.

This dish must be eaten hot.

To really get to grips with the flavour of this dish, we recommend pairing it with a glass of good white wine.